Deere & Company

Douglas Brian Stickney

Van E Waggoner

Ryan Matthew Lutze

William Damm Zopf

A control lever for a work vehicle having a work implement is provided with a shaft that operates a control linkage. The shaft and control linkage control two functions of the work implement by manipulating two hydraulic control valves. The shaft can be moved in two orthogonal directions or arcs. To prevent cross talk between the control functions the control lever is prevented from twisting by a stub shaft that is received in an elongated slot. The side walls of the elongated slot restrain the twisting movement of the control lever. The elongated slot is provided with a U-shaped slider made of an anti-friction material such as slippery urethane plastic. The U-shaped slider has legs that conform to the side walls of the elongated slot. That portion of the stub shaft located in the elongated slot has a cylindrical configuration.

Control lever assembly

Three independent functions are controlled from a single control lever. The lever is mounted on a universal joint having a slip yoke, a flanged yoke and a cross member extending between the two yokes and defining a first transverse pivot axis and a second transverse pivot axis. The slip yoke is provided with first and second ball joints located in the same plane as the cross member. The first function is controlled by the fore-and-aft movement of the control lever pivoting the slip yoke about the first transverse pivot axis moving the first ball joint up and down. The first ball joint is coupled to a first link that moves the first hydraulic control valve. The second function is controlled by the side-to-side movement of the control lever. Such a side-to-side movement pivots the slip yoke about the second transverse pivot axis moving the second ball joint and second link positioning the second hydraulic control valve. The third function is controlled by the twisting movement of the control lever. A strap is welded to the control lever and is provided with a third ball joint that is coupled to a third linkage for manipulating the third hydraulic control valve. The third linkage is provided with a rod, a bell crank and a third link.

Multi function control mechanism

A dozer blade is attached to a support frame for movement about a universal connection. Angling actuators are connected between the frame and the blade so as to define a tilt axis which passes through the universal connection between the frame and blade.

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Dubuque, IA, United States of America

Douglas Brian Stickney